A Man Beaten by White Nationalists Will Face Similar Charges to Those Who Attacked Him

The man who was brutally beaten during a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville in August is now facing a felony charge related to the fight.

According to The Washington Post, a local magistrate issued an arrest warrant for DeAndre Harris on October 9, who was the subject of an attack during the Charlottesville rally. Videos show Harris — a black man — being beaten with objects by a crowd of white men. According to the New York Times, those objects included a metal pipe and wooden boards. The Washington Post reports that the video shows that before the crowd descended on him, Harris appears to swing a flashlight at the man, after the man had seemingly pushed a Confederate flag pole at a counterprotester. An arrest warrant for Harris is now issued for a felony charge of unlawful wounding.

“The victim went to the Magistrate’s office, presented the facts of what occurred and attempted to obtain the warrant,” the police in Charlottesville said in the statement, according to the New York Times. “The magistrate requested that a detective respond and verify these facts. A Charlottesville Police Department detective did respond, verified the facts and a warrant for Unlawful Wounding (Va Code 18.2-51) was issued.”

According to The Washington Post, a man identified by Harris's lawyer as Harold Ray Crews claimed Harris had injured him during the August 12 fight. S. Lee Merritt, Harris's lawyer, called the accusation "highly offensive and upsetting," adding that he's been charged with the same crime as those who attacked him.

NBC News reports that two of Harris's attackers were charged in relation to the attack. Daniel Borden, 18, and Alex Ramos, 33, were charged with malicious wounding stemming from the beating. NBC News also notes that the charge against Harris came just after white nationalists once again descended upon Charlottesville.

The New York Times reports that malicious wounding is punishable by one to five years in prison. On Tuesday, Merritt indicated Harris would turn himself in to law enforcement in the coming days.